Mi Segundo Hogar

So now that I have been here, in Chimbote, Peru, for about five days, I figgured it would be appropriate to let you know what I have been up to. These first few days have been pretty hectic, what with getting settled and beginning my work, but also extremely exciting. I got to Lima on the morning of the 23rd at around 5.30 in the morning, and then spent the morning at the house of one of our family´s friends who lives in Lima. At 12.30, I caught the 7 hour bus to Chimbote, arriving in time to attend the despedida (farewell party) of four volunteers who were returning to the states the next day. The next day, I moved in with my family, who live in a one floor building a few blocks outside of the center. The family consists of the mother, a teacher at a private school, and three sons (Jhon, 30 Wily, 28 and Cokey, 25). The same day, they took me to watch a soccer tournament of a few local town teams, and when I told them that I played soccer, they found me a team. For those of you who do not know, Peruvian soccer is poor, which can be seen from their international standing (or lack thereof), but it is also dirty. Anything goes, and the ref, when there is one, will only call the worst of it. We advanced to the second round before being knocked out of the tournament, literally and physically. The next day, I went to the beach, which is about a half an hour ride from town, where I had my first experience with sandboarding, a sport in which people use snow boards to go down dunes at high speeds. It was fun, but no one told me that it was a bad idea to put sunblock on beforehand, and I ended up, to all of the peruvians´amusement, completely covered in sand. The ocean was equally cool, and while I missed the "BSU! BSU!" chant before entering the water, I was able to teach a few Peruvians the art of bodysurfing. The equatorial sun, however, can do miracles to a gringo like me, and I got a sunburn that is only now beginning to fade. And last, but not least, I had an allergic reaction to something, and now my eyelids are beginning to swell. I hope that all is well back in the states, and I will try to update you all as often as I can.